Use My Plane Purse Trick — It Makes Flying Carry-On-Only So Much Easier

I take about four flights a month (usually in economy), and over the years I’ve mastered traveling with only a carry-on suitcase. However, I’ve also developed an equally valuable skill — one that makes sure I’m always flying with my essentials in my personal item. 

It’s called the “plane purse” trick — and to my surprise, it’s become a bit of a viral trend, with travel influencers and travel professionals talking about their own versions of their plane purses on social media.

A plane purse is a large personal item that contains everything you need during your flight, packed in a very intentional way so that items are quick and easy to access at any time. To pack a plane purse, I place smaller bags (including smaller purses), pouches, or zip-top bags inside of my bag, divided by category.

I realized the value of a plane purse early on. When I first started flying a lot, I quickly learned that it was a mistake to put anything I needed for my flight in my carry-on. The last thing I want to do mid-flight is pull my suitcase out of the overhead bin and rummage through a week’s worth of underwear and shirts to find my backup charger or headphones.

It was much easier to ensure I had everything I needed in my personal item, pre-sorted and easy to reach, during my flight. Once I made this realization, my plane purse was born. Now, I use a plane purse to keep everything I need while flying within arm’s reach. 

The first step is to choose a bag for your plane purse. I’ve been using the MZ Wallace Large Metro Tote for years. It comes with three pouches that lend themselves well to the plane purse packing method, and has plenty of space for anything I want to keep within easy reach during my flight. But really, just about any roomy bag that fits under an airplane seat will work. 

Once you have selected your bag, it’s time to start organizing and packing. When you pack reading material for your flight, put it in one smaller bag inside your plane purse. Anything you need to keep your phone or tablet charged goes in another zip-top bag, pouch, or tech bag. Snacks and gum go in another bag, and makeup, toiletries, or skincare should be packed together in yet another bag or pouch. Hand sanitizer and lotion have their own pouch, and so on. All of my bags are clear — I use Stasher bags, as well as different shaped and colored zipper bags, so it’s easy for me to know or see what’s inside each pouch — but you might want to label your individual bags if yours aren’t see-through.    

Having everything sorted and organized ahead of time means I can easily grab what I need without making a mess or taking multiple items out of my personal item to find what I’m looking for. For example, if I want to use my headphones wirelessly, I grab the bag they are in from my plane purse and can start watching my in-flight movie within minutes. If I am taking a red-eye and want to brush my teeth before I try to fall asleep, I reach for the small pouch with my toothbrush, toothpaste, and scrunchie I put my hair in at night before heading to the bathroom. 

I am such a fan of the plane purse method that I also use it on long road trips. Once you’ve tried the plane purse method and discovered how much better it makes travel days, it will be hard to go back to traveling any other way.